A Shinobi's Destiny
by DOAHazard
Summary: Kasumi finds her life in danger as her former clan members continue to pursue her more ruthlessly. However, an acquaintance steps up and tries to protect her with their life. Kasumi must trust their guidance if she is to survive her deadly encounters.
1. The First Message

The sun's bright rays set on Kasumi. Surviving this far in her life has made her become more aware of her surroundings every day. She is being hunted by her own clan because she left the village and was deemed for the title 'traitor'. Wanting to let go of the past and return peacefully to her village, her heart had become broken. A bird gracefully flew by and landed on Kasumi's held out finger. Several of these birds stopped by the dense oak tree branch as well. "It's so peaceful," Kasumi said to herself. "Why can't it always be like this?"

The birds zoomed out of sight. Sensing danger approaching her way, she jumped off the branch and began to run west. A barrage of shurikens charged fiercely toward her. Kasumi flipped off a tree to avoid getting hit. A kunai surprised her from the back, resulting in a small cut on her shoulder. Kasumi stood still, trying to catch her breath. "I know you are here, Ayane."

Surely enough, a young teenage girl with lavender dyed hair jumped in front of Kasumi. "It is time for me to end you, said Ayane. You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this." Kasumi straightened up. She made eye contact with her half-sister passively. "Why do you want to do this? Please, I do not wish to fight you."

Ayane readied her combat stance. "You're right. I don't want to fight you either. Perhaps killing you would be more appropriate." Before Kasumi could react, her purple haired half-sibling sweep kicked her, knocking her on the ground. Kunai in hand, Ayane attempted to pounce on Kasumi before she discovered that she had recovered from her fall swiftly. Kasumi counter attacked with a barrage of punches and kicks, knocking her kunai away from her. Wrestling for control, both females leapt behind each other for a back attack.

Ayane saw her chance to strike and kicked Kasumi onto the ground. She was ready to deliver a final blow before three shurikens homed in on her. Ayane leapt back and advanced toward the attacker. However, the person seemed to have escape. She turned around and found Kasumi nowhere to be found. "Darn it! How could I have been so careless?"

Kasumi was still running away from her pursuer. Tired out from her encounter, she stopped and rested behind some bushes near a sparkling river. Just when she was wondering about her rescuer, she heard some nearby bushes rustling. Preparing to defend herself again, she found out it was only a rabbit. She let out a sigh of relief. A distant spear was thrown near her and hit an old willow tree beside her right arm.

There was a note attached to it. Along with it was a map which showed mostly this area of the forest. Kasumi pulled out the spear and began to read the note.

"_Kasumi, if you are reading this, please understand what I am saying and follow my instructions. You have no idea what danger you are in. There have been many more active Mugen-Tenshin ninjas searching for you. They are no doubt trying to put an end to the dangerous chase. I know you can take care of yourself right now, but pretty soon you will need my help. I have attached a map of your area to this note. It should be highly accurate considering I have done the scouting myself. Anyway, you should reach a small village when you go directly west. Just meet me at the temple of the village. I will be waiting. It is a lot safer than where you are now, so I suggest you start immediately. I will be waiting for you until midnight. If you do not arrive, I will be forced to abandon our meeting and attend to other matters. So, please hurry and come right now. Keep your guard up as well."_

Kasumi examined the letter closely. There was no sign of the sender of this message, but she knew who it was. Or it could have been a trap. Either way, she would have to go there anyway. "It is almost night time. I must hurry," Kasumi said to herself. However, too distracted by the letter's fragile contents, she didn't sense the group of ninjas that were behind her, tracking her every movement.

It was nearly a complete sunset when Kasumi arrived outside the village border. It was a place with nightly festivals and celebrations. "The sender was right, Kasumi thought. This is a good place to blend in." She continued her way toward the temple. Before asking any locals where it was, she decided to stay in the shadows and find it for herself instead.

The ninja squad that followed Kasumi were standing before the village border as well. "We have found her," said one ninja. The leader, clearly dressed in black instead of purple, ordered everyone to split up and track Kasumi's movements. "Find her, and make sure that she is dead without alerting anyone."

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**Well that's it for Chapter 1. Please give me reviews and feedback on my first chapter. I plan to update it as soon as I have free time or if people want to read on. Thanks everyone!**


	2. Revealed

"It should be around here somewhere," Kasumi said to herself

"It should be around here somewhere," Kasumi said to herself. She strolled along the small riverbed while keeping her presence a secret. Then, she noticed the large temple sitting by the center of the village. She crept her way towards the temple and began to search for anyone that could be the mysterious letter sender. However, it shouldn't have been a surprise as she saw a familiar face on top of the temple roof. "There's not much time," said Hayabusa.

Ryu Hayabusa was Hayate's best friend. They have been getting along since they were kids. One day, Hayate asked Ryu to protect his sister, Kasumi. Ryu honored that request as a promise. Now, Hayate has been ordered to silence his traitor sister. Ryu seeks to keep the promise with Hayate and protect Kasumi.

"Hayabusa-san, what are you doing here? Were you the one who sent the message?" Kasumi asked. Ryu jumped down and landed with perfect balance. "I am sure you are well aware of the current situation. Hayate has taken a step up and decided to end it as soon as possible. That is why I am here," Ryu said.

"But, that means you will go against your best friend," Kasumi said. Ryu sighed. "I know, but honoring my promise comes first. If you are not careful, you may end up dead before you know it. Like so…" Ryu grabbed a shuriken from his pocket and threw it toward a bush. A masked ninja lay down and was injured by the shuriken. Ryu was skilled with throwing weapons.

"It seems that you have led them here. Looks like coming here was a bad idea after all. We have to keep moving. Follow me," Ryu said. He leapt on a branch and was heading towards the east exit. Kasumi followed him as she had nowhere to go now that the pursue squad was within the village. They stopped at an open field area. Kasumi was confused.

"Why are we stopping?" she asked. "They could be here any minute." Ryu stared up at the moon. "I'm sorry. I just had to look at something." Ryu continued on as Kasumi followed behind. "The storm is definitely coming," he said. Halfway across the path, Ryu stopped again.

"Behind you!" he exclaimed. The two ninjas dodged the barrage of shuriken that came from the west. There, the hunter ninjas revealed themselves. The leader was with them as well. "Long time no see, Hayabusa-sama." Ryu looked at the leader as he pulled his mask off. "So it was you, Meizu."

Kasumi looked frightened. The ninja leader had scars all over his face. "Hayabusa-san," she whispered. Ryu turned to Kasumi. "There is another village near the Tamura Mountains. My friend is the owner of a sushi bar. It should be easy to find as it is the only one inside the village. I will meet you there." Kasumi shook her head. "But…" she started. "You must hurry! Go!" replied Ryu.

Kasumi started leaping across the branches to her destination.. "Please be safe, Hayabusa-san," she said to herself. The ninja leader, Meizu, drew his blade. "It's about time we end this, Hayabusa-sama. The rest of you must follow that girl!" The other ninjas nodded and followed Kasumi. "Wait!" Ryu said. He began to strike the ninjas until Meizu came behind him and made a slash on his arm. Ryu kneeled down and drew his sword as well. "Your fight is with me," Meizu said.


End file.
